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The Savory Grape Wine Shop Newsletter |
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Greetings!
Do you still have people who you haven't
crossed off your gift buying list yet? Just in case you
are in a gift purchasing rut, we wanted to offer helpful
ideas that you can, well, say are your
own. (Don't worry, we would never tell.) Through our
web
site, you can order wine baskets with gourmet
goodies, gift cards, wine club memberships and just
plain 'ole wine, for your family, friends and other
wine geeks (call us what you wish) in RI
or out-of-state. (Yup, we can ship to those out yonder
in other states.)
You can also come see us in the shop (we love
when you do that) for these items and other gift
giving selections, such as decanters, aerators, wine
racks, cellar tags, and, just in, American Vintage:
The
Rise of American Wine, signed copies of
The
Sipping
Point wine book, Wine Away emergency repair kit
(as seen on the Today Show) and
"Wine
Sticklers." Wine Sticklers are the great stocking
stuffer
this year. They are a roll of
removable labels for on-bottle notes with space for
Bottle Price, Date Purchased, Where Purchased and
personal details. Wine Sticklers are a great, simple
reminder of details you need handy as you are
choosing a bottle from the stash. (You wouldn't want
to pull the $100 bottle when you want to serve the $10
bottle.) Many use "inventory journals," but we've found
that keeping the information on the bottle is quicker.
And it puts the info right where we need it. Cost is
$7.99
for a roll of 30 "Sticklers" in a nice round tin.
If you are ahead of me and done your
shopping then just stop in this weekend on route to
your holiday parties to pick up a hostess gift
and taste wine. We will enjoy a special tasting of
Silverado selections on Friday evening with distributor
David Aiello and a special tasting with importer Carlos
Figueroa of JC Imports on Saturday. All
wines we have tried and are fantastic!
Enjoy and be merry,
Jess, Nino & The Savory
Grape
Team
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The Savory Grape News & Events |
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December 18th EG Holiday Stroll.
Come take a stroll down EG's Main Street this
Thursday evening from 5-8 PM. The holiday spirit is
in
the air, and many businesses, like ours, are open
late to accommodate your shopping needs.
Special Wine Guests. Of all weekends not to
miss
our in-store tastings, this is the one. We will have not
just one special guest, but two. We will kick the
weekend off Friday from 5-8 PM with David Aiello of
Martignetti Wines as
he shares with us selections from the acclaimed
Silverado Vineyards of Napa Valley. Then
join us again Saturday from 3-7 PM with Carlos
Figueroa
of JC Imports as he leads us on a tour of new
arrivals from South America.
Holiday Store Hours. The Savory Grape will
have extended holiday hours next week. Sunday we
will be open from 12-6 PM and Monday and Tuesday,
December 22 and 23 we will be open from 9 AM to 9
PM. On Christmas Eve, we will be open from 9 AM to 6
PM, and the shop will be closed on Christmas Day.
We will reopen with normal business hours on Friday,
December 26th.
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Not Any Old "Port" in the Storm |
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Recently, as the weather has turned colder, we've
noticed a typical upswing in the
demand for Port, and with the holidays upon us and
Port being a great gift, we thought this would be the
perfect time to discuss this much admired beverage.
Port comes from the Douro region. It is made
from a blend of various grapes including Tinta
Roriz (known as Tempranillo in Spain), Touriga
Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Francesa and Tinto
Cão. Port is considered a fortified wine because grape
brandy is added during
fermentation. This addition of brandy stops
fermentation, leaving behind sugars that were never
converted to alcohol. The sugars make port sweeter
than most wine and the brandy stabilizes the wine
giving it more shelf life and
strength.
The three main types of port are ruby, tawny
and white.
Ruby ports are the most basic and
uncomplicated style of ports. Ruby red in color, hence
the name, these ports are only aged in oak for a few
years so they retain their fresh, rich, concentrated red
berry flavors. These are great partners to berry-based
desserts and blue cheeses. White port (Porto Branco,
in Portuguese) is an aperitif style made from white
grapes, which can be sweet or quite
dry.
Tawny ports are named for their distinctive color and
spend the majority of their time aging in oak. Higher
end tawny ports
will indicate on the bottle the average number of years
the wine spent in oak, e.g., a 10, 20, 30 or 40-year
Tawny. As the number of years increases, so does the
complexity of flavors (nuts, dried fruits with a hint of
toastiness), and price. These ports are great paired
with
cheeses,
chocolate or nut-based desserts. It is important to
note that both tawnies and rubies are made ready to
drink and once opened and if kept cool will last 3-4
weeks after opening.
Vintage ports, ports designated with a particular year
on a bottle, are some of the most age worthy wines.
Vintage port is made entirely from grapes of
a declared vintage year (ie 2003). Not every year is
declared a vintage; only those that are considered
exceptional, making this a more rare form of port.
Some of the more recent vintages to
invest in are 2003, 2000 and 1994. Vintage port from
1983, 1985, 1991 and 1992 are worthy candidates to
enjoy now, if you can find them! The decision on
whether to declare a vintage is made in the spring of
the second year following the harvest. Vintage ports
are aged in barrels for a maximum of two and a half
years before bottling, and generally require another 10-
30 years of aging in bottle before what many consider
their proper drinking age. Because of sediment,
decanting is a must, and once opened vintage ports
should be consumed within days. Integrated, smooth
and memorable, these
wines are one of the wine world's greatest treats!
Classic pairings include chocolate, blue cheese and
for many men, a great cigar.
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Savory Selections: Holiday Wine Gifts |
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Like last week, wines that we feature in the Savory
Selections are those that are perfect for gift giving.
Whether for your oenophile boss or budget conscious
brother, these are wines we love and think others will
too when receiving them this holiday. Click here for
our suggestions.
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Weekend Wine Tastings |
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Friday, December 19th (5 to 8 PM)
Join us Friday evening as special guest
David
Aiello of Martignetti Wines features a selection of
wines from Silverado Vineyards. Silverado Vineyards,
located in Napa, is dedicated to
expressing the character of grapes grown on each of
the winery's properties in the Valley,
whether it's Carneros Chardonnay or
Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon.
Featured Wines:
- 2006 Silverado Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc
($19.99)
- 2005 Silverado Vineyards Sangiovese
($26.99)
- 2004 Silverado Vineyards Merlot ($29.99)
Saturday, December 20th (3 to 7 PM)
We are very excited to welcome back
Carlos Figueroa of JC Imports. On this evening
Carlos will showcase a selection of wines from
South America, along with a sneak peak at a brand
new wine from one of our favorite South American
producers. This is a tasting you do not want to miss!
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